July 11 - Brucie's Bday

 It was on this day of 1274 that "Robert the Bruce" was born.

Robert who aided in the revolt of Scotland against the English and won the Battle of Bannockburn.  He was King in 1306 until his death in 1329.

June 27 - Celebrate Diversity

 Diversity almost always enriches and enhances any groupings.  In Canada we've always celebrated the fact that we aren't the "melting pot" that is our southern friends, rather the 'tossed salad'.

We celebrate people's backgrounds and we even have a day dedicated to it:  Canadian Multiculturalism Day, which is today!

June 22 - science and heresy sorta mix

 Draw me a map of our solar system... I don't care if you get the order of the planets right (I think it goes Venus, Mars then Earth... after that I'm lost).

But most importantly, you put the sun in the middle, right?

Well, the early Christians believed to think that was heresy.  Obviously, we're the most important thing, so we're in the centre.  But many scientists/astronomers tried to prove differently... like, look... math!

Galileo was one of these that believed in the heliocentric theory, and it was on this day in 1633 that with heavy threats by the Catholic church at the time he was forced to recant his beliefs in that theory... a scientist had to lie to save his own life.  Sad.

I'd love to say we've come a far way from that 4 centuries later, right?  Like, everybody listens to the scientists, openly... right?

June 20 - Called to try to escape a shark

 On this day in 1877, Alexander Graham Bell had the first commercial telephone service installed, in Hamilton of all places too.

Also on this day in 1951 there was a Convention on the Status of Refugees.  50 years later the UN would officially declare that June 20th is World Refugee Day.

All the more poignant this year as we see what's going on overseas.

It was also on this day that the 1974 book by Peter Benchley made its way onto the film and spawned a huge franchise ...

...and probably fueled some more fears of sharks.

June 6 - Overlord was the 6th Village Person

 June 6 ... 1944 was a big day for the allied troops as they launched en masse to the beaches of France to push back the Nazis.

Also known as D-Day.  It's unimaginable to think about what the soldiers at the time went through, the movies you've seen probably don't do it really any justice.

100 years before that a group was founded in London for the Young Mens Christians Association, a place for establishing healthy bodies, minds and spirits.

Apparently, back then that included skills like drapery and embroidery as well as calisthetics.

June 2 - oh the year was 1774

 Not 1778 like the Stan Rogers tune goes... but on this date in 1774 the British Parliament passed the expansion of the Quartering Act; whereby British soldiers in North America could take unoccupied homes or barns for their barracks.

Obviously, not a well liked piece as originally it was just 'you need to give us barracks' to a "well, if there are none we like we'll just take what we do".

But, back to ol' Stan.  I say old as he always sounded so old, with that deep baritone voice.  Yet, even as he tragically died in a plane he was only 33 on this day in 1983.

I have belted out a many of his ballads myself and just revel in his fingerpicking (Witch of the Westmoreland... love it).

June 1 - golden milk for a god

 So like a million years ago, someone decided that the milk our mothers gave us was probably just as good as the milk that other animals give their kids and we determined that cows have the best milk.

Which, I don't disagree with.  It's tasty.  And it's what we celebrate on World Milk Day.

Another required beverage, especially for one with Alba heritage is uisce bheatha... or aqua vita... water of life.

Or, you might know it as whiskey.  The first ever recounting of someone making it was of this monk, John Cor, that on this day in 1495 he's actually on the King's exchequer list.

"To Brother John Cor, by order of the King, to make aqua vitae VIII bolls of malt."

We should be celebrating this man, not that he invented, but the first that we know of that was getting paid for it.  Similar to how there's songs for Charlie Mopps, why nothing for John Cor?

Well, those are elixirs worthy of a god.  And one god I appreciated seeing on the big screen was when Alanis Morissette played God in Dogma.  It was a quirky take on the whole catholic scene (the whole movie was).

Well, Alanis, with one hand in her pocket, is turning 48 years old today.